Counter-Strike 2 has been rumored to release tomorrow after numerous cryptic and teasing tweets last week. With that in mind ESL. the organizers for the ongoing ESL Pro League Season 18, decided to poll players on their willingness to switch from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to CS2 in the middle of the playoffs if the game does end up releasing.

It is currently unknown how the players responded to the poll but ESL had this to say in a statement made to Dust2.us. “Generally, we survey teams and players participating in our competitions to get an understanding of their opinions on a variety of topics. Now, we are indeed in discussions with the EPL Playoffs teams to understand their preferences in the event that Valve's tease for tomorrow holds true and CS2 releases to replace CS:GO. Once any final decisions come out of this we'll update you as soon as possible.”

Even if Counter-Strike 2 does end up being released tomorrow, that does not guarantee an immediate switch as Valve has assured us that Global Offensive will continue to be supported to complete any current or ongoing tournaments. So it is entirely possible that ESL Pro League Season 18 finishes on CS:GO, then immediately makes a switch to CS2 for Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023 this October. We are unsure of how the release of CS2 might affect other ongoing CS:GO tournaments like ESL Impact Season 4 and ESL Challenger League Season 46.

Outside of logistical issues, there are other concerns about an early switch to CS2. Many players who have participated in the CS2 limited test will tell you that it is not always a smooth transition between games. Differences have been felt in some core aspects of the game like movement, gunplay, and utility. Bugs and exploits are also being found quite regularly. When it comes to the teams participating in the tournament itself, while many teams have been practicing and playing on the shiny new rendition of Counter-Strike, others have had their complete focus on finishing out Global Offensive with a bang.

In its current state, it is unlikely that we will be seeing an immediate switch to CS2 especially one as unanticipated as this one. ESL has promised to update us on the results of that poll though, so as of now, all we can do is wait and see.

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